Pretoria Capitals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Prediction: Sunrisers won in the last meeting

Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape are going head to head in the 18th Match of the South Africa T20 League at SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium, Centurion, South Africa on 25 Jan 2024. Sunrisers won in the last game against the same rivals. Who will win this game of cricket?

Pretoria has only managed one victory in their SA20 campaign in 2024 thus far. Despite defeating Durban's Super Giants, they have suffered defeats to the Paarl Royals twice, as well as the Joburg Super Kings and Eastern Cape. The team is currently in a tight competition on the six-team points table, but a single victory could put them back in contention for the playoffs.

The Capitals now have the opportunity to seek revenge against the Sunrisers, who skittled them out for only 52 runs in their previous encounter. In that match, the Capitals had a strong start with an opening partnership of 25 runs, but then experienced a dramatic collapse, losing all ten wickets for just 27 runs.

Although opener Will Jacks impressed with a century earlier in the tournament, he has struggled in the last two innings, scoring only 13 runs. However, he remains an important asset at the top of the batting order and is known for his all-round abilities as one of the best players in SA20. It is likely that Jacks, who is also a spinner, will continue to open the bowling for the Capitals.

For their last game, the Capitals introduced Senuran Muthusamy and Daryn Dupavillon into the team. It will be interesting to see if either or both of them will be retained for this match. Depending on the team's strategy, either the spinner or fast bowler may make way for additional batting resources.

Jordan Hermann, Dawid Malan, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Tom Abell, Patrick Kruger, Liam Dawson, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Ottniel Baartman, Daniel Worrall

The Sunrisers have overcome a slow start to their 2024 SA20 campaign. They had a washout against Joburg and lost to the Super Giants, but then secured three consecutive victories against MI Cape Town, Durban, and the Capitals. If they win against Pretoria, they have a good chance of topping the points table this season. Recently, they made a new signing, Afghanistan fast bowler Fareed Ahmad, who has replaced England all-rounder Craig Overton in the squad. It will be interesting to see if Ahmad makes his debut in the SA20 on Thursday. The conditions in Centurion could favor his pace and bounce. Meanwhile, local seamer Ottniel Baartman has been impressive in the absence of the injured Sisanda Magala. Baartman took four key wickets against Pretoria earlier this week, showcasing his talent in the T20 format and potentially catching the attention of national selectors in this T20 World Cup year. As the reigning champions, there is a lot of pressure on the Sunrisers to succeed again this season. However, their 2024 campaign shows potential for a successful title defense. A convincing win over Pretoria would silence doubters and reaffirm their status as genuine contenders.

Philip Salt (wk), Will Jacks, Kyle Verreynne, Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, James Neesham, Corbin Bosch, Wayne Parnell (c), Eathan Bosch, Hardus Viljoen, Adil Rashid

This will be the third match of this year's SA20 to take place at SuperSport Park in Centurion. In the first match, Pretoria won the coin toss and chose to field first, resulting in a loss. In the second match, Pretoria won the coin toss and elected to bat first, leading to a victory. It is likely that the team winning the coin toss this time will choose to bat first.

In the SA20 season, Centurion has seen first-innings scores of 210 and 204, both of which were sufficient. A score of 200 or more in the first innings can be considered competitive at this ground. It is a venue where high scores are common. It is advisable to have two slow bowlers in the playing XI. Fortunately, there is no rainfall expected on the day of the match, allowing for a complete fixture.

The Sunrisers have a greater amount of momentum compared to Pretoria. Additionally, the Eastern Cape side has a strong recent record against the Capitals. Considering these factors, it is recommended to bet on the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who are the favorites to defeat the Pretoria Capitals, who are the underdogs in this match.